5 Underrated Apple TV Miniseries Every Subscriber Has To Watch – TVLine

Slowly but surely, Apple TV (which recently lost its plus) has assembled an impressive collection of long-running and award-winning shows that make it a worthy competitor to other streaming giants like Netflix and Prime Video. As a result, we’ve been blessed with shows that are either continuing to thrive or are even returning after a lengthy hiatus, such as “Severance” and “Slow Horses” (which will eventually be in its seventh season). Sometimes, though, you need a show you just want to dive in and out of. A one-and-done watch that has no sign of returning for a second, third, or fifth season that you’ll eventually find yourself losing track of. That’s why we’ve compiled a top-tier collection of shows that only require a few hours of your time. 

From tense whodunits to World War II dramas that got Steven Spielberg’s approval, we’ve banded together a great batch of television shows that are absolutely worth your limited time. For anyone who gets annoyed at television recommendations that are along the lines of, “Honestly, it gets better in the second season,” worry not. All of these shows are great from start to swift finish. 

Not many shows on Apple TV will make your blood run as cold as Dennis Lehane’s “Black Bird.” The show follows the true story of James “Jimmy” Keene (Taron Egerton), who after getting caught in a drug bust, gets the chance of a lighter sentence if he accepts sharing a cell block with a serial killer. What follows is a harrowing undercover operation as Keene grills the soft-spoken and unsettling murderer Larry Hall, brought to life in an Emmy-winning performance by Paul Walter Hauser.

For “Mindhunter” fans that still need a fix after its abrupt cancellation, “Black Bird” certainly makes for a great substitute, with a show that spends more time discussing the barbaric acts of a killer than actually making us witness them. The chemistry between Hauser and Egerton is remarkable in what feels like an undercover version of “The Silence of the Lambs.” Hall’s dead-eyed breakdown of his darkest fantasies and most horrifying secrets will turn your stomach, while our informant Keene has to remain unfazed by them. “Black Bird” is also worth a look just to see the late Ray Liotta’s final TV performance.

Not long after Chris Evans had given up his stint as a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he quickly turned his attention to an intense family drama that had bad blood running all the way through it. In “Defending Jacob,” the former Captain America plays Assistant District Attorney Andy Barber, whose world is blown apart after his 14-year-old son is accused of murdering a classmate. Spanning eight episodes, the show, like the William Landay book it’s adapted from, constantly questions the legitimacy of Jacob’s (“IT’s” Jaeden Martell) innocence as Andy goes to great lengths to cover up the crime his son may or may not have committed. That’s a task that becomes all the more difficult when the history of the Barber bloodline begins to reveal itself.

Not to venture too much into spoiler territory, but an appearance from Andy’s estranged father William (J.K. Simmons) explores the idea of whether one of the strongest elements that makes a killer who they are runs deeper than just a bad childhood. The show marks a commendable and daring detour for Evans, who played a conflicted attorney before Jake Gyllenhaal gave us his version of the role in another Apple TV thriller series, “Presumed Innocent.”

Fans of “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” stood at attention when executive producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg took to the skies with Apple TV by way of “Masters of the Air.” The miniseries tells the story of the 100th Bomb Group, also known as the Bloody Hundredth, which operated during World War II. As a companion piece to both of those aforementioned war dramas, “Masters of the Air” packs the same fierce and intense spectacle and makes you feel like you’re watching “Saving Private Ryan: The Series,” only from thousands of feet in the air. Even by shifting the battlefield to the skies, though, “Masters of the Air” bombards its viewers with incredible aerial sequences and dogfights.

Unlike “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” “Masters of the Air” comes with perhaps an extra bit of star power. The show’s cast is led by Austin Butler, Barry Keoghan, and Callum Turner. But don’t let that A-list fool you, because tragedy and turmoil strike these men with every air voyage, leading to a heart-wrenching finale that may not pack quite as much of an emotional punch as its predecessors but is still a must-watch.

“Five Days at Memorial” is another true story and may prove to be a difficult watch for some. It chronicles the titular hospital, which found itself in unspeakable shape after it was left behind during Hurricane Katrina, and the medical staff who were forced to make unimaginable decisions for those who had no chance of escape. Vera Farmiga steps into the shoes of Dr. Anna Pou, who was forced to work with little to no power. The decisions she made in the process eventually led to prison time and life-changing consequences that would stay with her forever.

Be forewarned, “Five Days at Memorial” is a harrowing watch at times. It can leave you feeling both distraught and enraged by a story that serves as a warning and a shocking indictment of how the demands of those in need often go unheard until it’s all too late. It’s an incredible turn from Farmiga, who proves that outside of her time screaming through “The Conjuring” franchise, she can deliver an emotional and awe-inspiring performance, backed by the likes of Cherry Jones (“Succession”), to drive a message home that can’t be ignored. “Five Days at Memorial” is undoubtedly an essential, albeit excruciating and infuriating, viewing experience.

Taron Egerton has the unique distinction of appearing in not one but two limited shows that deserve your attention, and he gives very different performances in both entries. Going another round with Dennis Lehane, “Smoke” stars Egerton as an arson investigator, Dave Gudsen, who is forced to team up with Jurnee Smollett’s Detective Michelle Calderone to track down two separate fire starters that have absolutely no apparent connection with one another. Before long, things start to heat up as both parties uncover shocking revelations that lead to an uneasy alliance and an investigation that will drop your jaw with every incredible twist.

Smollett is great as the investigator with something to prove, but Egerton is the scene-stealing player in this story, which takes its time in pulling the rug out from under you before setting it on fire. Massive praise must also go to Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Freddy Fasano, a troubled and unsettling soul who eventually finds himself on Gudsen and Calderone’s radar before things go into bonkers territory. Honestly, go in blind and stick it out until the smoke clears. You won’t regret it.